Jeremy VanGelder

Kevin Olson wrote:Now apply the lapping grit to the edges of the reel and to the bed knife.  I bought two small tubs - 120 grit and 220 grit - from Pin High, a golf course supply company.  I don't think I've ever needed to use the 120 grit stuff, though.  Basically, this is silicon carbide valve grinding grit in a water-based gel carrier.  I apply it with a cheap chip brush.

Valve grinding grit, you say? I've never sharpened my reel mower because I didn't want to buy compounds just for that purpose. But I think we have some valve-grinding grit around. Thanks for the tip!

Our garden became a community garden again. One of my brothers got married last year. So he and his wife were interested in sharing the garden space with us. So we showed them around a few weeks ago and agreed on the new dividing lines. There wasn't much to show with the beds all covered in leaves. But since then we have planted almost all of it.

Has anyone else given garden tours this year?

Interesting. I was familiar with hour-based currency. But those are usually paper bills. There isn't the follow-through of a digital exchange.

Seth made a video of another batch of rhubarb candy in the solar dehydrator at Wheaton Labs.

Making and maintaining trails is a lot of fun, isn't it? These days I end up doing a bit of trail maintenance almost every time I walk in the woods.

Is that the water heater giving you guys trouble again?

I like using potroleum powered equipment. But wow is there a maintenance burden. And the breakdowns pop up when I use the equipment. It's not like a chainsaw or tractor tells me iuring the offseason, "Hey, I'm going to break next time you turn me on." Sometimes I like maintaining the equipment.

My hand tools have a maintenance burden as well. But they are simpler to repair. And easier to inspect. Cracks in a handle are easier to see than the mangled splines on my PTO shaft. Often I choose a hand tool over a machine because I can use the hand tool right now. Not in half an hour.

Carrie Savo wrote:What happened to all the covid gardeners?

I started our garden during Covid and it has been a powerhouse, churning out good food. When we decided to put a garden there early in the year, I dumped whatever leaves I could find on it to weaken the sod. Later that year we ripped and tilled it. Then we planted it and built a massive deer fence. Since then we have covered it every fall. This year I only tilled a small strip of it. The other beds are waiting under the leaves. We still have dry beans, potatoes and pumpkins from last year. So Covid gardeners are still here. But at this point we just think of ourselves as gardeners.